Chart Reveals iPhone 5c Doing Much Better Than Most Android Flagships

The iPhone 5c didn’t live up to Apple’s lofty standards. But the device might be doing much better than initially thought. A new report by Apple Insider reveals a pretty telling chart in the smartphone fight, one that might surprise (or not) a few iPhone 5c naysayers. Perhaps it was Apple’s failure to price the iPhone 5c than the device itself being bad. (I’ve been using the 5c since it came out and have zero complaints.)

According to the data, Apple was the most dominant presence in the U.S. market at the end of last year, with the iPhone 5s taking the top spot across AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile between a three month period ending in November. What people might find surprising despite the negative reports is that Apple’s iPhone 5c beat out many Android flagships, and also bested Windows Phone and BlackBerry 10 devices. On AT&T in September and October, the device even beat out Samsung’s Galaxy S4.

In most instances, the data shows, the iPhone 5s was number one, the Galaxy S4 was number two, and the iPhone 5c was at number three. No other devices show up on the list, highlighting just how dominant the two venders are in the U.S. market. But it just goes to show that the expectations of analysts, media and other pundits don’t always reflect what’s actually happening. It’s perhaps the results of Apple standards being much different than other standards. I’m sure any other devices grabbing the number three spot would have been more than happy.

Most of the reports surrounding the iPhone 5c have been negative, with the latest rumor claiming Apple was sitting on millions of unsold units. But the device’s U.S. performance clearly shows that consumers are interested in Apple’s unapologetically plastic device. Is this a case of folks just hoping Apple will fail at something? Apple Insider sure makes a good argument, and given that the iPhone 5c even did better than the Galaxy S4 in some instances, what more do people want?

Check out Apple Insider’s comprehensive (and interesting) report, and do what you will with the chart provided below. It sure seems as though Apple’s “flop” is doing much better than people thought. So, then, what does that say about other Android flagships that can’t even outperform the “terrible” iPhone 5c? The mobile market is a funny thing indeed.